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What is dead may never die. Especially when it’s one of the most popular shows in cable TV history.

After HBO’s Game of Thrones wraps up its eighth and final season in 2018, the network is reportedly looking at producing a prequel series, working alongside author George R. R. Martin.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, HBO programming president Casey Bloy confirmed the network is in ongoing talks with Martin about more stories set in the world of Westeros. “There are areas we are exploring, but I wouldn’t point to any one and say, ‘This is what we’re going to do,’ ” Bloy said.

With thousands of years of backstory touched on in Martin’s novels, there’s certainly no shortage of material to draw from. And thanks to the latest seasons of Game of Thrones surging ahead of the novels – Martin’s sixth entry in the saga, titled The Winds of Winter, is still in the works – fans are perhaps more open to the idea of exploring people and places on the small screen that were never covered in the books.

Jamie and Cersei Lannister as kids? The further exploits of a young Ned Stark? The building of the wall, or the golden age of dragons? Whatever direction HBO might decide to go in – and this sounds like pretty much a sure thing, given how lucrative the fantasy drama has been for the network – we’d be surprised if there weren’t some plot and character threads directly connecting the prequel series to Game of Thrones.